A decade on: £1 million spent on new SVR slip

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By Paul Appleton

A decade on from the disastrous floods that temporarily closed the Severn Valley Railway – subject of a new display at the Engine House museum and visitor at Highley – £1 million repairs to a new landslip that has threatened to sever the line during the busiest part of the main operating season have been carried out.

Trench digging at 5am on August 9 at the affected part of the line. B CLEETON/SVR

The new problem has occurred at a remote spot between Arley and Highley alongside the River Severn at Bridge 19, a point on the line also known as County Boundary, where trains cross from Shropshire into Worcestershire.

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Large cracks revealed

Although some movement of the embankment was detected during 2016 with the fence marking the boundary between the railway and the field below noticeably moving towards the river, these minor twist faults were remedied by stabilising the line by lifting and repacking the trackwork.

The railway formation at this point is built on top of ancient landslide deposits, so slight movement is to be expected, but during the early part of this year the movement appeared to increase at a greater rate so it was decided to bring in the line’s consultant engineer for a more detailed assessment.

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